SPORTS FACTS AND FIGURES 18: JOSE SULAIMAN'S 10TH DEATH ANNIVERSARY
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 18 Jan 2024
Don José Sulaimán was the president of the World Boxing Council from 1975 up to 2014. January 16, 2014 was his 10th death anniversary. A mass was celebrated at the Antigua Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City attended by his family, the World Boxing Council family together with the boxers, champions, trainers, promoters, journalists and fans to commemorate the 10th anniversary of his death.
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He was born José Sulaimán Chagnón on May 30, 1931 at Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico. He died on January 16, 2014, aged 82, at Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
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Sulaimán's father was of Lebanese descent and his mother of Syrian descent. He was an amateur boxer and had engaged himself as a trainer, promoter, referee, and judge. But he was internationally known as a boxing administrator for more than three decades.
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At the age of 16, he was an official of the boxing commission in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In 1968, he joined the World Boxing Council (WBC) and immediately held a high position. On December 5, 1975, Sulaiman was unanimously elected president of the WBC and had served the top position until the time of his death.
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Under Sulaiman's leadership, the WBC had instituted several new rules and regulations regarding boxers' safety and welfare. Among the changes was the reduction of world championship bouts from 15 rounds to 12, the official weigh-in taking place 24 hours prior to each bout, the creation of intermediate weight divisions, the formation of the World Medical Congress, the introduction of the attached thumb glove and the funding provided for brain injury research programs at UCLA.
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During Sulaiman's tenure as president, the WBC sanctioned over 1,100 title bouts and 300 boxers won world titles. It become a worldwide organization, since Sulaiman had expanded the WBC's global coverage to include 161 affiliated nations.
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Sulaiman spoke Spanish, English, Arabic, Italian, Portuguese and French, and successfully operated a medical supply company in Mexico. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on June 10, 2007. One of his children, Mauricio Sulaiman, is the current president of the WBC.
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According to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, USA Basketball will announce a large 2024 Paris Olympics player pool because everybody seems to show interest to play for Team USA at this year's Summer Olympics
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USA Basketball will announce in advance a list of 35-40 players who could make Team USA’s 12-man team. Veteran stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have all pledged to compete in the Olympics, and reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid, who became an American citizen in 2022, committed to play for USA last October.
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The roster is expected to include these stars, plus some players from the 2023 FIBA World Cup team like Mikal Bridges, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, and other popular players and those who have played with the national team. USA Basketball will inform the players this month, but has not yet formally offered any player a slot in the pool, according to The Athletic.
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Sports History: January 18, 1896. The first college basketball game with 5 players on each team was conducted by the University of Iowa. The school invited student athletes from University of Chicago for an experimental game. During the actual game Chicago defeated Iowa, 15-12.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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